


Oops

by Thraceadams



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-30
Updated: 2010-12-30
Packaged: 2017-10-22 23:50:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/243937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thraceadams/pseuds/Thraceadams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sheppard picks up something shiny and becomes a 5 year old while the team is on a mission off world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Oops

**Disclaimers/Archive:** These people are NOT mine. I don't own Stargate, it's been so long since I wrote SGA fic that I don't even remember who owns it but it's not me. I'm not making any profit, I'm only doing this for fun. We are active duty military living in base housing and therefore have NO money, so please don't sue.

Thanks as always to my friend, beta, hand-holder, partner in crime [](http://buttononthetop.dreamwidth.org/profile)[**buttononthetop**](http://buttononthetop.dreamwidth.org/) for her hard beta work. Any mistakes you find are purely mine.

PLEASE DO NOT LINK/COPY/SHARE/WHATEVER THIS ANYWHERE. THANK YOU.

 ****

Oops

"You've got to be kidding me." Rodney looked down at the five year old boy standing in front of him and glared. "What did you touch?"

"Nothing."

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Really? Because two seconds ago you were Colonel John Sheppard and now you're a kindergartner so you had to have touched something. Now what was it?"

"Rodney, go easy on him, he's just a little boy," Teyla chided him gently.

She crouched down in front of John, who was standing there with his arms crossed and a pinched looking frown on his face, his lower lip trembling.

"John, honey, do you remember what it was you were doing before you were turned into a kid?"

John looked at Teyla, his eyes shiny with unshed tears. He shook his head. "No."

"Are you sure?"

Suddenly, John was looking down at his shoes as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. Teyla noticed something clenched in his fist. "John, what's in your hand?" She shot a look at Rodney when John moved his hand and hid it behind his back.

"Nothing."

"John," she said a bit more firmly.

John squirmed where he was standing and then reluctantly pulled his hand out from behind his back and unfolded his fist. Crushed inside it was a bright purple flower. "I thought it was pretty."

"You thought it was pretty? So you just picked it?" Rodney asked in exasperation.

"Yeah," John mumbled. "Wanted to give it to Teyla, 'cuz she's pretty."

Teyla turned to Rodney. "Do you think the flower could have caused him to de-age like that?"

"Don't see how it could. And really, picking a flower to give you because he thinks you're pretty? Not really a Colonel Sheppard thing."

Ronon slapped the back of his head.

"Ow!" Rodney reached around to rub his head, turning around and glaring at Ronon. "What was that for?"

"You know what that was for – Colonel Sheppard would have done the same thing but he can't reach right now."

"What did I say?"

Teyla sighed. "It's okay, Rodney, let's just try to figure out how he de-aged and get him back to normal as soon as possible, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Rodney shot another glare over in Ronon's direction.

Teyla turned back to John, crouching down in front of him again. "Thank you for the pretty flower. Do you remember what you were doing right before you picked it?"

John frowned a bit and then his face lit up. "Yeah, there was a shiny piece of metal back there. I remember picking it up." He frowned and rubbed his thumb. "But it stuck me so I dropped it."

Rodney's eyes widened. "A shiny piece of metal? Where? Show me!" he demanded.

John hung back and actually slid his hand into Teyla's. She stood up and he stepped behind her, peeking out from behind her leg. Rodney rolled his eyes. "This is no time for games. Show me where you found it."

John completely disappeared behind Teyla and wrapped his arms around her thigh. She gave Rodney a stern look. "Rodney! He's just a child."

She reached down and took John's hands in hers, turning around at the same time so she was facing him. She smiled down at him, letting go of one of his hands to ruffle his hair affectionately. He frowned at her playfully as he reached up to try to smooth his hair back down. She laughed and he did, too.

"John, can you show me the shiny piece of metal you saw?"

He nodded at her solemnly, took her hand and started leading her back the way they had come. They'd only gone a few yards when he pointed to the ground. Rodney ran the scanner over it and looked at the reading. "Hmm, seems harmless."

He bent down to pick it up.

"NO!" Teyla shouted sharply. "Don't. We don't know what it is or how to deactivate it. The same thing could happen to you that happened to the Colonel and then where would we be."

"Well, what do you suggest we do then? I can't examine it if I don't pick it up."

Ronon shrugged and pulled off his pack. He bent down and picked it up with the bag and dropped it inside the pack. "Problem solved."

Rodney stared at him and then shook his head. "We should probably head back to Atlantis so I can get it to the lab and examine it more closely. Have Carson take a look at John, make sure he's okay physically."

Teyla and John walked hand in hand back toward the gate with Ronon on point, his weapon drawn and Rodney pulling up the rear, muttering to himself the entire way.

"Something shiny he says. Magpie, he's a magpie in disguise sent to drive me insane."

"Why is Rodney mad?" John whispered to Teyla.

She squeezed his hand. "He's not mad, he's just worried, that's all."

Overhearing them, Rodney chimed in. "Mad? Of course I'm mad. How many times have I told him not to touch things when we're out on a mission? If I had a nickel for every time I wouldn't have to work anymore. Something shiny, of course he picks up the first shiny thing he sees. And look where it got him." He caught up to them and glared at little John. "Do you hear me? Look where it got you. Maybe next time you'll leave the shiny thing alone."

"Rodney!" Teyla said sharply.

"You're mean," John pouted as big fat tears spilled out of his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. He let go of Teyla's hand and went running up ahead to catch up with Ronon. Rodney and Teyla watched as he slipped his small hand inside Ronon's and the two of them took point together.

"Crap, I didn't mean to upset him," Rodney said softly.

Teyla reached over and squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "John will be okay. I suspect our John is in there and just trapped in the body of a five year old. You're going to have to go easy on him until we figure this out. Once our John is back, I'm sure he'll be better prepared for your anger."

Rodney glanced up at John and Ronon just in time to see John turn his head back. He sighed heavily. "I'm just worried."

"I know."

The rest of the trip back to the Gate was uneventful as was the trip through the Gate. Once back in Atlantis, Sheppard was immediately sent off to Medical with Dr. Beckett while Rodney went off to the lab with Zelenka to examine the metallic artifact that made John regress. They still hadn't found anything by the time Beckett had cleared Sheppard, so Sheppard was now sitting in the lab with them, swinging his legs back and forth and generally making himself annoying.

"Must you do that?"

"What?"

"Move. Can you not sit still for one minute?"

"Yeah." He stopped swinging his feet and sat there for about five seconds before he started swinging them again and humming to himself.

Rodney closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Zelenka patted him on the back. "Don't worry, I've got him."

But John grabbed the stool and frowned. "Don't wanna go. Wanna stay here with Rodney."

Zelenka threw Rodney a helpless look and Rodney waved his hand at him. "Okay, okay, but you have to be quiet so I can think, okay?"

John nodded and went back to humming to himself.

Several hours later, John was sound asleep on a pile of lab coats in the corner when Rodney punched the air. "I've got it! I figured it out."

Zelenka came over. "You figured out how to turn him back?"

"Um, well, no. But I figured the machine out. It's some kind of alien vacation device. It reads your desire and makes it happen. John's been stressed lately, he probably wanted to escape from his stress so it turned him into a child. It should wear off on its own. I'm not sure how long but probably a few days."

They both turned to look at the sleeping boy on the floor. "Guess I better call Dr. Weir."

 **Seven Days Later**

John sat on the table while Carson examined him. "So, Doc? Am I okay? No more five year old?"

Carson grinned at him. "No more five year old. You're cleared for duty. Although, might I suggest not picking up anything shiny anymore?"

John grimaced. "I think I learned my lesson on that one, Doc, thanks." He clapped Carson on the shoulder and hopped off the table. Carson watched him walk out of the med bay and turned back to his work.

John made his way back toward his quarters. There was one thing he still had left to take care of. When he got inside his quarters he wasn't surprised to see Rodney waiting for him.

"Do you know how scared I was?" Rodney asked softly.

John stood at the door, his hands behind his back. "Yeah. I can imagine."

Rodney shook his head. "No, I don't think you can. Please promise me you won't go picking up shiny things?"

John held his right hand up. "I promise."

Rodney sagged with relief. "Good, because I don't think my nerves could take another surprise transformation like that again."

John nodded. "I am sorry," he said softly.

"I know."

They stood there in silence staring at each other.

John was the first to speak. "So um, wanna go grab some dinner then maybe come back and watch Star Wars?"

"You know that Force thing is just a bunch of fancy hocus pocus, right?"

John rolled his eyes. "Yes, Rodney, or should I say, Han Solo?"

"You really think I'm Han Solo?" Rodney asked hopefully as they left the room and walked out into the hall.

"No."

"Seriously, because I think we kinda look alike."

"No."

"Hmmm."

  
 ****

The End.


End file.
